Licensed Laptop Selection Time!

Below you will find the technical specs for each laptop available for Teacher replacement this Spring 2018:


Macintosh Laptop:
MacBook Air
13-inch/1.8GHz
i5 - 5th Gen/8GB/256GB SSD storage/Intel HD Graphics
6000



Windows Laptop:
ThinkPad 13 2nd Gen, Intel Core
i5-7200U-7th Gen (2.50GHz, 3MB) 13.3"
1920x1080 Multitouch, Windows 10 Pro
64, 16.0GB, 1x256GB SSD SATA, Inte l
HD 620, Intel 8265 ac, 720p HD
Camera, 3 Cell Li-Polymer, 3 Year Depot




Macbook Pro (upgrade $460)
13-inch MacBook Pro: 2.3GHz dual-core i5, 256GB
2.3GHz Dual-core Intel Core i5 - 7th Gen
• Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640
• 8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM
• 256GB PCIe-based SSD
• Force Touch Trackpad
• Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports
• Backlit Keyboard

Replacement of Licensed Staff Laptops - Spring 2018

It is time again to upgrade our current licensed staff & administrator laptops (last replacement was Summer 2014). These laptops will be replaced this Spring (May 2018). We will be moving to a 5 year replacement cycle after this replacement.  Next replacement date will be Spring 2023.

Laptop options include:

• Macintosh laptops: 13" Macbook Air
• Windows laptops: 13" Lenovo ThinkPad:
• For those who feel they would benefit from a MacBook Pro, this will be available for an additional cost, paid for by PDF or dept funds.

Please begin organizing and backing up your files.  Below are helpful TTSD IT KnowledgeBase articles and link to the TTSD Tech Blog that will provide you with tips:

• KnowledgeBase Article - Backup and Sync
• TTSD TechBlog

In the next week, you will receive a follow up email with additional laptop details and with a form to complete.  You will only need to complete this form IF you want to:

1. Switch platforms (move from Windows >> Mac or Mac >> Windows), or
2. Upgrade to Macbook Pro laptop ($$)

Getting started with Google Team Drives

TTSD staff, you may have noticed a new area in the Google Drive menu called Team Drives. Team Drives are a way to share folders and files other staff, but instead of an individual owning the content, the content is owned by the TEAM.  So, if someone were to move away or move to a different "team", the ownership of the files stays with the team. This could be very useful for group collaboration in SAT/PLCs, departments, schools, committees, etc. where the content shouldn't belong to a particular person, but rather the team as a whole. Click the graphic below to learn more about Team Drives.

Learn more about Google Team Drives

STAFF PLEASE READ: Social Engineering Attack Prevention Tips

• 
  Never allow anyone to take control of your computer unless you verify in person that the individual is allowed access!  Cyber criminals will contact staff impersonating Microsoft, Comcast, or other vendors claiming that your organization has been hacked and directing the employee where to go on their computer to fix the problem.  Don't do it.  You may be inadvertently installing a virus that will give them access to your computer or system.

• Never email sensitive documents to anyone without first verifying on the phone that the request is legitimate.  Cyber criminals can send emails that appear to be legitimately from superiors, like the superintendent.  These emails will request information like health insurance data, W2 forms, account numbers and financial wire transfer codes.  Never send this type of information without picking up the phone and verifying the request!

• Never give out your password to anyone!  And change it frequently on important accounts.  There is no legitimate business reason to share your password.  Customer service staff, who assist with account access, can reset passwords or direct you to a self-service password reset.

• Cyber criminals are pretending to be contractors and vendors who have changed their bank account numbers.  They will send your accounting department realistic emails that appear legitimate, with an explanation that the contractor/vendor has changed bank accounts or wire transfer accounts.  The request is fake and money will go directly to the cyber criminal.  Pick up the phone.  Call and verify!

• Conduct regular trainings on cyber security.  Experts recommend "people patching" or reserving a portion of your budget to fund employee cybersecurity training.  They explain that it is important to invest in hardening employee skills and keeping them abreast of new breaches and attack vectors.³ As a member of SDIS your entity has access to online training through SafePersonnel.  They offer training on a variety of subjects including Cybersecurity Overview, Email and Messaging Safety, Password Security Basics and Protection Against Malware.

• Individuals should strongly consider signing up for a credit and dark-web monitoring service 

Sources

1. Perrin, Chad. "Mitigating the social engineering threat." Tech Republic, CBS Interactive, April 21, 2010, https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/it-security/mitigating-the-social-engineering-threat/

2. Vigliarolo, Brandon. "Report: Email attacks increasing, but none as much as impersonation phishing." Tech Republic, CBS Interactive, December 5, 2017, https://www.techrepublic.com/article/report-email-attacks-increasing-but-none-as-much-as-impersonation-phishing/

3. DeNisco Rayome, Alison. "These 3 departments are causing the biggest cybersecurity probelms at your office."Tech Republic, CBS Interactive, December 6, 2017, https://www.techrepublic.com/article/these-3-departments-are-causing-the-biggest-cybersecurity-problems-at-your-office/

Google Calendar has a new look starting January 8th, 2018

Yesterday, Google announced that they will start automatically upgrading users to their new Google Calendar web user interface (UI) on Janurary 8th. You can read the original announcement which talks about the changes. Highlights of what's new are available in Google Calendar Help.

I switched to the new calendar this week and really like the look. This is what my current week looks like:

If you have changed any settings on any of your calendars, you will see more of a difference there, but I have been able to find what I need. The change is more in line with the new versions of Chrome and other web applications I have used.

Enjoy!

Looking for something fun to do over the Holiday Break?

Google has provided a FREE series of training modules specifically for classroom teachers.  There are 5 full courses (see image below).  The first course is called Fundamental Training.  There are 13 Units in the Fundamentals Training program that are extremely relevant to the work we are doing at TTSD.  Each unit within each course is broken down into 20-30 mini-lessons. 

This is a GREAT way to learn how to use the amazing and vast resources we have with the Google Suite (Google Apps for Education).  Use your TTSD login to sign in and when you have a moment in your day, walk through one of the lessons.  Let's get started!

Link to the first set of Fundamentals Training

Thank you TOSAs for our Holiday Tech T-Shirts!

Happy Holidays to all!  Enjoy your time with family and friends...and maybe take a few moments to checkout some new ideas for integrating technology tools into your lessons!